By J. Critchley –
Food production causes over a quarter of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions [1]. It’s estimated that by 2050 there will be another 2 billion people on earth which will require 70% more food [2], meaning greenhouse gas emissions are only going to increase [3]. So, it’s becoming ever more important to discover these causes and conduct solutions. The increase of greenhouse gases traps heat in the atmosphere which contributes to global warming; this causes melting of ice caps, rising sea levels and increase extinctions of endangered species. In particular, throughout China’s urbanisation (1987-2017), their greenhouse gas emissions have increased due to changes in agricultural production and household diet, as demonstrated in an article published by Zhang, et al [4].
Figure 1 shows the average annual population growth rate of the 31 provinces from 2010-2020. Attribution: Abbasi786786, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Zhang, collected data from numerous research studies to calculate the greenhouse gas footprints from produced and consumed foods in China. This provided evidence indicating an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from China’s food system, including direct and indirect footprints. Their research found that China’s greenhouse gas emissions; from food production increased by 51% and from food consumption increased by 64% [4].
Over 30 years there was a shift to a protein-rich diet from a starch-filled diet [5]. This was shown from China’s daily calorie intake; meat increased by 198% whereas vegetable intake increased by 12% [4]. This is partly due to the middle class increasing in size and so a greater proportion of the population had an increase in their disposable income [6]. China’s population was increasing rapidly so much that the government introduced the “one-child policy” in 1979 to try and slow the rate of population growth [7]. This rapidly growing population was a contributing factor to the amount of food that had to be produced and consumed.
Since 1961 China is one of the most changing countries in terms of diversity of their food supply, they have increased the amount of meat, sugar and vegetables they eat [8]. A greater diverse food supply has links to new technologies which improve agricultural production, for example with the use of fertilisers and machinery. Chemical fertilisers cause chemical run-off which increases river pollution and so algae bloom can extract oxygen from the waters, which can affect the wildlife [9]. Also, the use of machinery; which is powered by fossil fuels and so contributes to global warming; have increased a farmers capabilities to improve their land. This has led to “rampant deforestation” therefore, destruction of wildlife [10]. Overall, this has increased China’s productivity of their growing agriculture at the cost of the environment [4].
In conclusion, the agricultural modernisation and increase consumption of foods has increased China’s greenhouse gas emissions [4]. This could relate to the fact that China’s climate policies have neglected food consumption and production [4]. Previous measurements have indicated that towards the end of China’s urbanisation (2016) the world had its hottest year at 0.94 ̊C [11]. Since, China have pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2060 [4].
References:
[1] Ritchie, H and Roser, M (2020) Environmental impacts of food production. Available at: Environmental impacts of food production – Our World in Data [Accessed: 9 November 2021].
[2] Climate smart agriculture, (2021). Available at: Climate-Smart Agriculture: Development news, research, data | World Bank [Accessed 10 November 2021]
[3] Perrone, T. (2015) How many people will inhabit the world in 2030, 2050 and 2100. Available at: How many people will inhabit the world in 2030, 2050 and 2100 (lifegate.com) [Accessed: 9 November 2021].
[4] Zhang, H. Xu, Y.Lahr, M. (2022) The greenhouse gas footprints of China’s food production and consumption (1987-2017). Journal of environmental management, 301. 113934.
[5] He, P. Baiocchi, G. Hubacek, K. Feng, K. Yu, Y. (2018) The environmental impacts of rapidly changing diets and their nutritional quality in China. Nature sustainability 1, 122-127. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13086
[6] Low, N. (2020) China’s appetite for meat is still growing. Available at: China’s Appetite for Meat is Still Growing | Paid for and posted by CME Group (reuters.com) [Accessed: 10 November 2021].
[7] The one-child policy in China (2017). Available at: The one-child policy in China | Centre For Public Impact (CPI) [Accessed: 10 November 2021]
[8] Southey, F. (2020) How has global food supply changed in 50 years? Food navigator, 23 January. Available at: How has global food supply changed in 50 years? (foodnavigator.com) [Accessed: 10 November 2021].
[9] Behrens, A. (2018) Positive and negative Impact of fertilizers. Positive negative impact, 13 June. Available at: Positive and negative impact of Fertilizers – Pros and cons (positivenegativeimpact.com) [Accessed: 10 November 2021]
[10] Behrens, A. (2018) Positive and negative Impact of agricultural technology. Positive negative impact, 26 August. Available at: Positive and negative impact of agricultural technology (positivenegativeimpact.com)[Accessed: 11 November 2021]
[11] Decierdo, P. (2017) The Earth’s rising fever, and why it’s bad news for all of us. Sounds of science, 23 April. Available at: The Earth’s rising fever, and why it’s bad news for all of us – Manila Standard [Accessed: 10 November 2021]
